Afternoon final: NASA wants to visit the sun

Welcome to Texas on the Potomac’s “afternoon final.” Every weekday, we will bring you three sets of news links, starting with a morning summary of top Texas headlines, national stories and Texas political blog posts. We’ll update at midday update with some of the top political stories that are making waves. And we’ll give you an “afternoon final” giving you something to talk about at the dinner table. As always, feel free to e-mail us with link suggestions.

1. Eager to jumpstart the economy ahead of crucial midterm elections, President Barack Obama said Friday he intends to unveil a new package of proposals, likely including tax cuts and targeted spending, to spark job growth. Associated Press>>>

2. President Obama and his economic team made another Rose Garden appearance before TV cameras and print reporters Friday, an oft-repeated ritual in which the president seeks to convey his concern about America’s grim unemployment situation. But there’s a growing perception that his message either isn’t getting through or that citizens are seeing it as inadequate. Christian Science Monitor>>>

3. NASA plans to visit the sun. The project, called Solar Probe Plus, is slated to launch sometime before 2018. Mashable/Tech>>>

4. The 2010 mid-terms may be dominated by antipathy toward incumbents, and political upstarts may be knocking off long-time party favorites from Florida to Alaska, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t extremely difficult to mount a challenge to a well-established incumbent. That’s what Dr. Donna Campbell is discovering as she takes on U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett in Congressional District 25. Texas Independent>>>

5. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said Friday she was wrong when she claimed that headless bodies were turning up in the Arizona desert as part of border-related violence. Associated Press>>>